West Virginia Archives and History Library
Workshops/Lectures

Family History, the SAR, and Re-enacting
September 12, 2013

On September 12, 2013, Steve Hart will present “Family History, the SAR, and Re-enacting” at the Thursday evening lecture in the Archives and History Library in the Culture Center in Charleston. The program will begin at 6:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Hart will discuss the requirements for admission into the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), how he proved his own genealogy, and participation in re-enacting. He became interested in family history and the frontier/revolutionary era when he set out to prove that his family was descended from John Hart of New Jersey, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and will talk about how he established the connection. Hart also plans to bring his re-enactor’s kit, those items he would have needed for a week’s journey on the frontier—blanket, cooking and eating utensils, powder horn supplies, and other accoutrements.

A native of Elkins, Steve Hart is a retired stone cutter who worked on government and commercial structures in places such as Washington, Baltimore, and New York. The U.S. Capitol, the Smithsonian, Washington Cathedral, Ellis Island, and the inner harbor at Baltimore are examples of the structures on which he has worked. He is president of the Daniel Boone Chapter, SAR, first vice president of the WVSAR, and a member of the board for Fort Randolph at Point Pleasant. Active with the Boy Scouts, he works with a troop in Belle and also participates in camps with multiple troops. Among other skills, he teaches the scouts the traditional method of starting a fire with flint and steel.

For planning purposes, participants are encouraged to register for the lecture, but advance registration is not required to attend. To register in advance, contact Robert Taylor, library manager, by e-mail or at (304) 558-0230, ext. 163. Participants interested in registering by e-mail should send their name, telephone number and the name and date of the session. For additional information, contact the Archives and History Library at (304) 558-0230.